


Fever

by Cyhyr



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Fever, delirious cuddling, if you squint you might see Stony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-06
Updated: 2012-09-06
Packaged: 2017-11-13 16:33:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/505522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyhyr/pseuds/Cyhyr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>from a tumblr prompt by losttoysintheattic: Tony falls sick with a dangerously high fever (Hyperpyrexia - 104F/40C +) and the team is scrambling to help him. When it looks like he’s in actual danger, Loki appears and shifts to his Frost Giant form to help bring his fever down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fever

“Get some ice,” Bruce called over his shoulder as he pulled his hand away from Tony’s forehead. 

“No,” Tony mumbled. “It’s already too cold…” He turned into Steve, who was laying next to him, keeping him from fidgeting too much. He was covered in a thin blanket, but his fever had gotten too high and now the extra heat wasn’t helping. Actually, Bruce had determined that if his temperature rose much higher, the arc reactor might start to malfunction.

“How much?” Clint asked. 

“Take Natasha with you and fill as many bowls as you can,” Bruce said. 

Clint nodded and was already turned into his shoulder to call for Natasha when Bruce spoke up again. “Actually, empty the garbage bins in the bathrooms. Fill those with ice. Dump them in the bathtub-“

“Friends! I have a solution!” Thor boomed and entered Tony’s bedroom.

Tony weakly covered his ears and shut his eyes tighter. Steve shushed Thor while Tony moaned against his side.

“It’s a  _migraine_ , Thor. Sound and light sensitivity,” Bruce reminded Thor quietly. When Loki walked through the doorway behind his adopted brother, Clint drew back away from the door and finished his call to Natasha .

“What is he doing here???” 

“Apparently, I’m here to help,” Loki answered, much softer than Thor had spoken previously. He took a few steps toward the bed, and Steve stood up and got in-between Loki and Tony. Loki sighed and looked back at Thor. “I told you they wouldn’t find this an acceptable solution,” he said.

“I don’t even see a solution,” Steve growled. “I see a war criminal, set free from his cage, in a room with an ill teammate.”

Tony, at that, groaned. “Steve, get back here; I’m  _freezing_.” 

Thor stood next to Loki and put his hand on his shoulder. “Loki is here to help with the fever,” he said. “Dr. Banner, you did say that Tony’s temperature needs to be lowered, yes?”

Bruce nodded, and Loki sighed. He relaxed his shoulders, closed his eyes, and Thor quickly took his hand away from his brother’s body. Pale skin darkened to blue, and runes and markings built upon his visible flesh. When Loki opened his eyes, Steve took a small step back; they were red, instead of their usual green.

“I am Jotun, not Aesir,” Loki said. “My skin, unhidden by the spell Odin had cast, will work just as well as ice in cooling him off; however, obviously, I will not melt.” 

Clint, Steve, and Bruce all considered this, and then Natasha stepped in the doorway. She didn’t even blink, but raised her gun and pointed it at Loki. “Thor, what’s he doing here?”

Tony’s breath started to come out in shallow pants. “Dr. Banner,” JARVIS interjected, “Mr. Stark’s temperature is rising, and is currently 106.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, his heart rate has climbed to 136 beats per minute.”

Bruce cursed under his breath, and pointed to Clint. “Get that ice, would you?”

Thor gestured wide with his arm. “My brother is willing to help reduce the fever! Let him help!”

“Voice, Thor!” Steve hissed. “Migraine!” 

Tony moaned and pulled the blanket closer to himself and shivered. He kept panting, and everyone started fighting about how loud was too loud and whether the curtains should be closed if Tony’s migraine was really so bad and “Thor, just take him back to Asgard!”

Natasha moved her arm and pointed it at the bed. “Get away from him,” she seethed, and Loki shook his head from his place, laying behind Tony. He had wrapped one arm around Tony’s waist and pressed the sick man’s back against his own chest. His other arm had snaked under Tony’s neck, carefully; Loki didn’t want to touch the human with his bare skin. Loki’s skin was cold enough through his own clothing that Tony was visibly shaking and his lips were trembling. He tossed in Loki’s arms, weakly pushing against the Jotun. 

“Humans should not be this warm,” Loki murmured. He pulled a pillowcase off of a pillow behind them and wrapped his hand in it, and then dragged it across Tony’s face. He rested his hand on Tony’s forehead, and Tony moaned.

“Don’t…”

“He’s delirious, Loki,” Steve said. “Get back.”

Loki glared, but started to remove his hand. Tony’s arms sluggishly came up and wrapped around Loki’s hand, and he pressed harder against it. “Don’t move,” he whispered. “Feels good.”

He kept his hand against Tony’s forehead, and started to brush his other up and down Tony’s side. Tony rolled closer to him, almost onto his back, and Loki began to touch Tony’s chest, down to his stomach, and onto his other side. The blanket and Tony’s shirt kept their skin from touching, but he still left a lingering chill wherever he put his hand. 

Tony kept lightly panting, even through the chills. Loki brushed his hair back where it had matted against his temple, and then pressed closer to Tony’s side.

After about a minute of letting Loki run his hands over Tony’s body, Natasha lowered her gun slowly and Clint relaxed a little. Steve’s shoulders fell and Bruce looked up at the ceiling. “JARVIS? How’s he doing?”

“Mr. Stark’s temperature is dropping, currently 106.1 degrees Fahrenheit. His heart rate has not dropped significantly, and is currently at 134 beats per minute.”

Bruce sighed. “Just… Thor, keep an eye on them. Everyone else, out. Let them have some quiet. Tony’ll want to rest when he comes down from the delirium.” Clint, Natasha, and (reluctantly) Steve let themselves be ushered out of the room. Bruce told JARVIS to alert them if/when Tony’s temperature got down below 104.0, and followed them out.

Loki stayed next to Tony all night, sending Thor out occasionally for water. Steve stopped by, once, and caught sight of Tony with his head resting on Loki’s shoulder while Loki held him away from his neck. Tony was  _cuddling_ with the god of mischief! Loki, though he was tempted, didn’t smirk at Steve, but he did close his eyes and turn his nose into Tony’s hair. Steve gave the antibiotics to Thor and left the room.

It was difficult, making Tony swallow the pill through the weakness of the fever, but between the two of them, they managed it. 

When morning came, Thor fell asleep as soon as Bruce stepped into the room. Bruce was immediately by Tony’s bedside, checking his breathing and asking JARVIS for a report. 

“Mr. Stark currently has an internal body temperature of 104.2 degrees Fahrenheit and his current heart rate is 127 beats per minute, though it has been dropping at an increased rate in the last hour,” JARVIS said.

“Whatever you had Steve give him last night certainly helped, Doctor,” Loki said. He sighed sleepily, but kept his eyes open and pulled Tony a little closer.

“It was a broad-spectrum antibiotic,” Bruce said. “I’m just ashamed it didn’t occur to me to do it before.”

Loki shook his head lightly. “He was in pain. Your priority was to ease him, make him as comfortable as possible. You needed a break to collect your thoughts; time. I was able to give you that.”

“And, thanks, for that,” Bruce said. He swiped his hand across the back of Tony’s neck, and frowned at the sweat there. “Maybe, he needs another dose of the antibiotic,” he thought aloud, and stood up. When he reached the doorway, he said over his shoulder, louder, “I’m trusting you to not do anything funny.” 

But Loki didn’t respond. So, Bruce turned around and felt the Other Guy start to push. 

Loki had fallen asleep. At least, his eyes were shut gently, his hands had stilled, and his breathing was even. “JARVIS?”

“Yes, Dr. Banner?”

“Set alarms if Loki leaves the bed,” he said, and left the room.

Later that day, just after noon, Tony’s temperature dropped to 101.6 and he was able to function enough when he woke up to use the bathroom and demand food. Thor took Loki by the arm as soon as it was determined that, with continued treatment, the infection that had caused the fever would stay away. He had let the spell hiding his Jotun skin take over again, but as Thor was ready to lead Loki up to the roof to bring them back to Asgard, Tony stopped them.

“Hey, I’m not well yet,” he said. “Isn’t that what he’s here for?”

Tony brought Loki back to his bed and continued to rest sprawled across him. This time, when Tony nuzzled into Loki’s neck, Loki let him, and simply curled his arm around Tony tighter.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I do not hold any rights to the characters described in this fanfiction. I simply make them do things because it amuses me.


End file.
